Mental health in Schools

by Battsetsen Erdenebulgan

In the last few years, awareness and resources around mental health have grown with certain schools having healthy start times, school psychologists, and more conversations around mental health. Yet there is still a lot of work to be done in support of the mental health of students including discussion of mental health in the curriculum, collaboration with community to make mental health support accessible & publicized to all students, and structures in the face of medical and family challenges.

Mental illnesses and suicide is so prominent that students are struggling themselves or have at least one family member or friend that are struggling. To aid in this, including mental health first aid and symptom information in the curriculum will not only help students who are struggling feel less alone, in hearing that others feel the same way, but also those that feel lost and overwhelmed when faced with a loved one struggling.

School funding should also be used on the proper training and employment of teachers and counselors. Schools around the US do not fill the recommended counselor to student ratio of 250 to 1. Moreover, research shows that students feel more comfortable seeking support from their teachers than school counselors due to their daily interactions and trust in teachers. Thus teachers should be trained by professional psychologists and counselors from the community and other nonprofits as it will benefit both the teacher and the students mental health when faced with difficult conversations.

Other ways funding can go toward improving mental health is having publicized and accessible mental health support groups, nonprofits, and organizations from the local community that the school keeps in close connection with and that the school communicates with students about. Students that have made the difficult decision of seeking help usually turn to their school or the internet so the school having publicized resources on their website and in their halls will make support more accessible.

Lastly, when students are faced with crises that end in missing school like physical and mental health, and family loss and troubles. The missed time endangers their grades and their future resulting in increased anxiety and hopelessness. To combat this, funding should be used to pay teachers for their expertise and extra hours when holding office hours for individualized support on missing work and personalized support.